Shima Tamani (Japanese, 1937-1999), Rooster

1961, woodblock print, a red artist seal is found in the lower right corner of the image, written in pencil in the lower margin: 35/100, Japanese title, 1961, presented under glass with a mat in a black frame.

Frame dimensions 22 x 16 in., Sight size 15 1/4 x 10 1/4 in.

Shima Tamami was born in Hirosaki, Aomori prefecture. A graduate of the Women's College of Fine Arts (Tokyo) in 1958, she joined the Joryû Hanga Kyôkai (Women’s Print Association) in 1959, a groundbreaking society of female artists who staged exhibitions of their work for ten years (1956-1965). Shima contributed prints to their fourth show held on the seventh-floor gallery of the Toyoko Department Store in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Shima's prints were promoted in the West after she received a travel grant from the College Women's Association of Japan in 1962. Her inclusion as a prize winner in James Michener's 1962 iconic book and print portfolio in the same year also made her work more familiar outside of Japan. Shima's prints are held in many public art collections across the world.

Shima's designs are notable for their use of texture, and especially for combining various bold woodgrain patterns within a single image. Her prints from the 1960s often feature fanciful images, with birds, horses, and landscapes, the rooster being offered in this auction as a wonderful example.

Very good condition; not examined outside of the frame.